Container with pouring spout and closure



Dec. 4, 1956 c. H. PHILLIPS CONTAINER WITH POURING SPOUT AND CLOSUREFiled Sept. 4, 1953. 2 Sheets-Sheet l '5 Frail.

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\nven+or'- I CliH-on HPhillips B19 aa zz%w His AH'orneL FaeJ Dec. 4,1956 c. H. PHILLIPS CONTAINER WITH POURING SPOUT AND CLOSURE 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 4, '1953 FlGJB \nv enhar m w H n h pmw H N n5 W m United States Patent invention relates to containers for liquids,such as oils or chemicals, and is more particularly concerned with theconstruction of the spout. and closuretherefor, and with the arrangementof such spoutand closure in relationrito the outline of the container soas tofinsure that the container has good warehousing andstackingcharacteristics. 7 i i Containers for liquids, such as the commontwo-gallon tinned sheet metal cans, are usually provided with. a

nozzle extending upwards from the top wall about a dis-' charge opening,the nozzle being embossed to provide 2,772,821 Patented pee, 4, i956further object is to provide an improved container of the character."described and an improved pouring spout and closure combination that issimple and can be constructed and assembled at low cost.

, Still further objectswill become apparent from the followingdescription; in I v i a i In summary, thetop-oi, the container includesa wall having an opening and a nozzle extending from the said wallaboutthe opening; a tubular pouring spout is movably secured within thenozzle, with screwlhreads and has a peripheral, fl'exibleseal flangeabove the said top; and a closure, that is ,threadedlyengaged byscrewnthreads within the pouring spout has arim pressing the seal flangeagainst-thesaid top;a fluid tightjseal being provided on both ttheupperv and lower, faces pf the seal flange. The under side of ,theisealflangemay bear on whatever partof the-container top'is'situated-immediately beneath it, e. g., the said top wall or a rim ofthe nozzle, depend:

screw threads for engagement with a closure cap; in y top wall Priorcontainers which avoided 'suchprotruding elements have been subject tocertaindrawbacks that have prevented theircommercial 'use. in quantity,includingflifficulties; in etiecting good j pouringcharac; teristics anddependable seals' at the, pouring, spout as well as complexity. and highcost of constructior i.

' 'It is-an object ofthisinventionto p'rovidean improved I 2 containerfor; liquids ihaving a discharge opening in, the top thereot and apouring spout and closure associated with-said-ppening that aresubstantiallyfiflush with .the

said top-,--whereby,ithe container has improved stacking and warehousingcharacteristics; A specific objcct-isto provide an improved sheet metalcan having-atop wall with a chime thatextends only slightly above theinner portionofthe w all--,advantageously not more than about 0.1;: tot-0.3 inch-wherein the pouring and-sealing api purt'enances;are;all'situ'ated below 1118: plane of 'thetop oflthe -chime x z a;t-Another'object; is; to provide a container' tor liquids' having in-the{top thereof a discharge opening andT a movableiipouring *spout hayingapart thereofextending into; said; opening, I e. g2, one with al pouringlip and/or 7 one which: eanbe extendedupwa'rdly-into pouring pd-flsition, wherein simplified sealing means are provided 7 j includinggaperipheral sealflange'on-the spout overlying the: Qilllsidelbfthfijsaldtop-for sealing'engagernent there.

with and aninverted or plug type seal cap also extending into-"saidopening andhaving a rim overlying the 'Saidl sealrfiange' for, :sealingcengagernent'? therewith 'and to three the said xfl'arige} againstlthetop of the container; the "top': oftheicontainer herein referred toma'ybe' the top wall of the container or some other part that is anelementxofthe ;top.";T-hi's sealing arrangement of the movable pouring:spout: is a-advantageou'slyj employed in a qcontainerfli-ofi the;improved stacking and warehousin g el araoteristics according; to. the'precedingpara'graph but is not limited to use in such a container.

a-pouring lip of sprung metaliwhich can lie-flatagainst the saidtopiwall-vfor storage orb'e snapped upward" for pouringdiquids :11' iThe container :of, improved warehousing characteristics includes thearrangementdescribed in the foregoing'paragraph, the nozzle being,mounted to extend downwardly into theLcontain'er. Bylusing aclosureiwith a reasonably: thin rimjthe sealflangeland closure cani bothbe made to lie-fi-below thentop plane or .themarginalchime of the topalthough the latter extends only slightly above the top wallof thecontaine'n T Thexinvention will, be further described vvitlrr referenceto the-faccompanying drawings torrn'inga part of this specification andshowing certain preferre'd 'emb iments thereof by way of illustration,wherei'n-z u Figure l is an explodedelevation view-{partly in sec tion,eta-container with the closure 'reihoved and the spout in pouringposition; i 5 1 Figure 2 is a plan view of the container with the 'closmp v v v 1 ligure'li is a vertical'sectionaFview, on an enlarged scale,of a portion ofthecont'ainer withthe" clbsurein place;' l Y I I1 Figure:4 is afragmentary view similar to Fi'gureQ showing a modifiedarrangement of thenozlzlej Figurejis'an' exploded elevation'view, partlyinf'secti "ii,- bf a diiierent embodiment of a container with {thepinning spout and closure removedyjj Figure 6 "is a plan view'of thecontain'r accordiiiig'flt'o Figure 5 with the pouring spent a closure inplace;

Figure :7 is a vertical sectiona'l view, on an enlarged scale, of aportion of the'container of Figure 5 with the 'Figu'relS is an elevationView a r riodified spo'ut, a"nd Figure 9tis a plan viewbf the spoutshown in Figure}.

botto'm'and top:i-walls I1 and 12, respectivelyfbyh'ermetic seams of anysuitable form; such as the double seams shown to provide chimes 14 and15, respectively.

, additional deform ee e the acetate, polyviny dine chloride, thecopolymer ofpoly- For good storage characteristics the walls 11 and 12are substantially rectangular, except for rounding of the corners, butthis feature is not'cssential and the inven tion may be applied tocontainers of otheroutlines. The carrying-handle, when-provided, ispreferably of "the hinged typefas shown at 16, secured by'staples 17soldered' to'the wall 12 so as tolie almost flush therewith, entirelybeneath'theplane of the top of the chimeIS.

' The top'wa'll-12 has a discharge opening 'near. one margin thereofabout which there is a noz'zle19, the nozzle is a-fiir'red to apart" ofthe container top. The nozzle is made of -thin sheetmetal andis'embossed to provide screw threads asd'a mounting flange 20 therein,

by which thenoz'zlei's fixed to the topwall bysoldering, althoughtightness is not essential tofthe sealing action of the closuretobedescr'ibed-i It should be-noted'f that the flange so maybe ontheupper' side of the top wall and soldered to it as shown in Figure '4.In thelc'ase of Figure-4,- the-wall 12 may be bent inwardly to provide abead '21' whichserves toposition the nozzle during-the assembly thereof,and a hermetic seal between the nozzle and :top wall is necessary. Tofacilitate discharge of liquid the nozzle is preferably provided withone or more lateral drain holes 22 situated just beneath the wall ,12.Further, aventing tube 23' may be optionally provided and secured lbysol'dering against the under side of the wall 12; as is well-known inthe artjsuch .a tube has 'an-opening at .one .end 24 withinthe-container displaced horizontally from the discharge opening and theother.-rend-2 5.is.bent up and iniregistry with holes 26extendingthrough'the topuwall and flange 20 spaced radially inwardlyfromthe outer edge .of the latter for communicationwith theatmosphere whenthe closure is removed. U

7 size andpitch to cooperate with the-threads inthenozzle19, aperipheraleeal, flange-28, and preferablya re- The closure cap is of theinverted or plug type and I comprises-an externally screw threaded shank31 shaped to cooperate with the internal threads of the pouring spoutand a rim 32 that is sufiiciently rigid to force the seal flange 28 ofthe pouring spout firmly down against the container top to deform theflange slightly and to effect thereby a dependable seal both on thelower and upper faces of the sealflange. The cap advantageously has acentral depression 33 with a bar 34, sometimes known as a bumped-in bar,to facilitate the use of a closingtool. 9 I} 7 f It is evident that-whenthe spout is screwed'fully down and the closure cap is tightened, asshown in Figures 3 and 4,..the container is sealed. In thisconditionthehandle and the closure cap are almost flush with the top wall,permitting all appurtenances to lie beneath the top plane of the chime.15 even when the latter extends only a minimal distance above the topplane of the wall 12,

' e. g.', 0.1'to1().3 inch. In Figure 3 the seal acts directly and thepouring spout is raised by unscrewing it'to any desired extent 'When thecontainer is nearly empty it is necessary to screw the pouring spout to'a suflicient height to bring one or more of the holes 30 thereof intoregistry with a drain hole 22 to permit liquid from the container toenter the pouring spout despite depletion of the liquid to alevelbeneath the end of nozzle 19 when the can is in inverted position.

Figure 4 shows two modifications, of which the first, already noted, isthe modified attachment of the noz zle. The other, which can also beapplied to'the other embodiments, involves the use of a flowed-indeformable annular gasket 35 of a synthetic elastomer that is permanently fixed to-the under side of the flange 32 of the closure. Such agasket would be used when the flange 28 is'made of metal or othermaterial that is not sufilciently deformable to form an effective sealalone. A similar flowed-in gasket 35a can also be applied to the underside of the flange-28.

taining lip Eat the bottom, The flange 28 may have a Pe f 1%? 84. pr tmdn rad a ly w rds fr m n of the samethickness as the flange itself tofacilitate get: ting hold of the spout for turning it. However, othereapedients, e. g. ser-rating the edgefof the flange 28,-or

givingit a non-circular shape, may be resorted to. ,"In the preferredembodimentthese partsare made integral andiformed ofa highmoduluselastomer, preferably a synthetic elastomerfsuchas a plastic havingsuflicient rigidity; to afield shape .to the threaded tubular part andpermit theYspoutto be scr'ewed In andput, while yet being sufii'ntlyfpliant to permit theseal-flange 28 to be: flexed VI, the wallilz..to effect adependable seal'by its own action, '1'. without the use v of ariy eIgasKet r equivalent memberlj Ea s me; te-pav m nt, p yv ypolymef r vinyl-chloride with vinyl ampies' or vinylidinechlondeiwithfvinyl chloride and vulcanized opening, viz;, an annularportion of the wall 12 in Figures 1-3 and the mounting flange 20 inFigure 4, and'is of the invention that the pouring-spout can beiformedin one piece withl the retaining. lip" 29 "prior. to assembly to the jcontainer and cam-thereafter be..attached by deforming the 'spout Y.sufficiently to permit, the lipsto enter through V the;;n0ZZle i 19;:Qne; or more circumferentiallya-elongate drain holes 30 are formed inthe spout above the lip' 29;

rubber. Thesealflange'iZSoverlies the portion of the conta ner topimmediately surrounding the discharge Referring to Figures 5-7,, thecontainer,- top and nozzle are "formed as described above for Figures1-3. The pouring spout 36, which is preferably made of sheet metal butmay,ifdesired, be made of plastic material, also comprises a tubularpart'formed to provide external and internal threads. It has a-drainhole 37 for registry with the hole 22; however, the hole 37 may be'omitted since this part maybe made 'shortenoughor'removed to expose: thedrain holes 22 and permit the end contents of the container to drainout,jalthough with loss of good pouring characteristics. The spoutcarries a pouring lip 38 which maybe made integral with the tubularpart, although'othermeans of providing the lip may be used. The lip isembossed to a dished s'hape shown to produce a sprung metalshapein'which the lip is stable'in either of two positions, viz., withthepoint thereof downward bearing against the wall '12 as-shown in Figure-7, or raised away fromthe wall as shown in Fi'gure '5. Th'epouringspout carries a peripheral seal iflange'139 which ;may beintegral withthe lip'as shown andissuflieiently I under sideof the rim41 when the-seal flange ismade of andlie belowtlre plane of thetopof'thechime-Hand .75

hard material suchzasmetaL-f When-the seal flange-39 is made of an:elastomer the gasketing material may :be omitted. at When the-partsareidisposed as shown in:Figure .7 the pnu'ringspouvwith its lip arealmost flushto the wall '12 the container is :in 'condition' 'forpackaging, storage and shipment. The gasketing ring 44 provides aneffective seal on the upper face of the seal flange 39 while the lowerface thereof is sealed by metal-to-metal contact. A thin gasket may, ofcourse, be interposed here if desired. To dispense liquid the closurecap is unscrewed, the end of the lip 38 being held to prevent rotationof the spout. The spout is then snapped up and turned to project overthe margin of the top.

The several features shown in Figures 5-7 may be applied individually tothe embodiments of Figures 1-4 and vice versa; for example, the spout 36of Figure 5 may have a retaining lip or flange at the bottom, as shownat 29 in Figure 1.

To simplify assembly it is desirable that the spout be symmetrical abouta horizontal plane, so that it would make no difference which end of thespout is inserted into the nozzle. Such a construction is shown inFigures 8 and 9, wherein the spout 47, made of an elastically deformableelastomer, has identical, integral seal flanges 48 and 48a at the endsthereof. The flange that is first inserted into the nozzle functions asa retaining lip while the other one performs the function describedabove for the flange 28. A plurality of drain holes 49, 49a and 49b areprovided, the latter being situated at equal distances from theirrespective ends.

A further variant shown in these views is in the shape of the flange,which is here made hexagonal, permitting it to be engaged for rotation.

Any of the drain holes 49, 49a and 4% may be brought into registry withthe drain hole 22 by turning the spout within the nozzle 19. Tofacilitate such registry it is advantageous to locate a hole at such adistance from each flange 48 and 48a that it is in registry with thehole 22 when the flange in question engages the bottom of the nozzle 19.Thus, the center hole 49 may in some cases satisfy both of theserequirements and the other two holes may in such case be omitted; or,particularly in the case of longer spouts, the center hole 49 may beomitted.

I claim as my invention:

1. A container for liquid comprising a top having a discharge openingtherein; a nozzle fixed to said top about said opening and forming apart thereof, said nozzle having internal screw threads; a pouring spouthaving a tubular part with external and internal screw threads situatedwithin and in threaded engagement with said nozzle and having aperipheral flexible seal flange extending laterally outwards from thetubular part in sealed relation thereto and situated above said top forsealing engagement therewith; and an inverted type closure having ashank with external screw threads situated within and in threadedengagement with the said tubular part of the spout and having aperipheral rim extending laterally beyond the shank and over said sealflange for sealing engagement therewith and for urging said seal flangedown against the top.

2. A container according to claim 1 wherein said seal flange is made ofelastomer for effecting of itself a seal both on the upper and lowerfaces of the flange.

3. A container according to claim 1 wherein said pouring spout is madeof a high modulus synthetic elastomer and has said seal flange integraltherewith and made of like material.

4. A container according to claim 3 wherein said pouring spout has a lipintegral with said tubular part thereof extending laterally outwardsunder the bottom of said nozzle for engagement with the bottom of thenozzle to limit the upward movement of the spout.

5. A container according to claim 1 wherein said pouring spout issymmetrical about a horizontal plane, whereby it has a peripheral flangeat each end, said flanges being integral with the said tubular part andsaid pouring spout being made of elastically deformable material,whereby one of said flanges can be inserted through the nozzle bytemporary deformation thereof, said one flange extending laterallyoutwards under the bottom of the said nozzle for engagement with thebottom thereof to limit the upward movement of the spout.

6. A container for liquid comprising a substantially flat top having adischarge opening therein; a nozzle fixed to said top about said openingand forming a part thereof, said nozzle having internal screw threadsand extending downwardly from the top into the container; a pouringspout having a tubular part with external and internal screw threadssituated within and in threaded engagement with said nozzle and having aperipheral flexible seal flange at the upper extremity thereof extendinglaterally outwards and in sealed relation to said tubular part, saidseal flange being in sealing engagement with said top in substantiallyflush relation thereto; and an inverted type closure having a shank withan external screw thread situated within and in threaded engagement withthe said tubular part of the spout and having a peripheral rim extendinglaterally beyond the shank and over said seal flange for sealingengagement therewith and for urging said seal flange down against thetop.

7. A container according to claim 6 wherein said pouring spout isintegral with said seal flange and both are made of a high moduluselastomer, the face on the rim of said closure and the part of the topin engagement with the under side of the seal flange being of metal,whereby the seal flange of itself effects a seal both on the upper andlower faces thereof.

8. A container according to claim 6 wherein said pouring spout has asprung metal pouring lip extending beyond the said seal flange, saidpouring lip being adapted to lie in substantially flush relation to saidtop and wholly within the outline of said top when the container isclosed and being adapted to be snapped up to incline upwardly from saidtop when the spout is in pouring condition.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS539,003 Henry May 7, 1895 1,328,881 Lazarus J an. 27, 1920 1,554,410Cooke Sept. 22, 1925 2,574,990 Waite Nov. 13, 1951

